Darwen burglar jailed for five years for Blackburn sub-station explosion (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Darwen burglar jailed for five years for Blackburn sub-station explosion

12:59pm Wednesday 21st January 2009 in

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A BURGLAR who damaged an electricity sub-station during a break-in resulting in a blast which seriously injured two policemen has been jailed for five years.

One of the officers, PC Oliver Timperley, thought he would die in the explosion, when he felt intense burning to his face and 14 months on is still to return to full duties.

The blast at the North Road flats sub station in Blackburn caused damage of £90,000 and blacked out 1,590 homes, Preston Crown Court heard.

Darryl Barnes, 36, of Higher Church Street, Darwen, had been convicted by a jury of criminal damage at the North Road flats site, being reckless whether life would be endangered.

He admitted burgling two Blackburn sub stations.

The court heard how PC Timpereley suffered third degree burns in the terrible blast as red hot liquid exploded into his face. He took the full force of the flashover in November 2007.

Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said that an earlier burglary at the Royal Infirmary sub-station before 3am on November 14, led to 276 residents being blacked out. Before 4am that morning, Barnes and another person had entered the North Road flats sub-station.

The two officers subsequently investigated and were inside the building with an engineer.

PC Timperley, 30, said of the explosion: "All I could see was orange engulfing me. I immediately felt an intense burning sensation to my face.”

He put his hands to his head, but thought he was going to die and had never experienced such extreme pain. He needed a skin graft, but was still left with reduced grip in his hand. He was hospitalised for 16 days.

PC Gerry Flanagan had burns to the right side of his face, left forearm and hand, as well as damage to an ear drum. He remained in hospital for 12 days.

Defence lawyer Daniel King told the court that Barnes had been recruited to a ludicrous and dangerous enterprise to steal scrap metal. He recalled very little of what took place that night.

Around that time he had problems with alcohol, drugs and depression.

In passing sentence, the judge, Recorder Philip Butler, told Barnes that not only had serious harm been caused as a result of what happened, but the defendant had put his own life in danger. It was only by luck that he was not seriously injured or even killed.